Elena Swanagan Elena Swanagan 5'11" | MB/RS St. Joseph | 2029 State IN established herself early with her ability to track the setter and close blocks with purpose. She stayed patient in her footwork, didn’t overcommit, and timed her jump well to get her hands across the tape. When she sealed the block, it took away clean angles and forced hitters into tougher shots.

In transition, she stayed active and available, running a consistent route that gave her setter a reliable option. What stood out was her ability to stay engaged every rally — she didn’t disappear between plays and continued to influence the net from start to finish. ~Theresa @prepdigdakotas

Raw and athletic, Elena is already getting head-and-shoulders above the net when attacking AND blocking, which is a lot to say for this class of middles. Even though she’s the shortest of the five here, that athletic acuity of hers looks smooth. She’s new-ish to the game, so the quick transition footwork needs some improvement. For now, however, it’s much easier to teach her nuances in footwork because of that athleticism. Time in the training gym and playing a schedule that’s tougher than what she’ll see in high school will dictate how far Elena’s progression will take her.

A high-jumping and physical middle, Elena is a diamond-in-the-rough type of middle. Despite her height not quite at six feet, she still jumps quite well, attacks at a very high point, and can terminate with a heavy ball regularly. Although South Bend Saint Joseph isn’t exactly known for their volleyball prowess, it’s nice to see a kid like Elena disrupt the standard of what a middle looks like from north central Indiana. I look forward to her progression at NIVA this coming spring, as this will allow her the high-end reps that a kid with her athleticism needs to develop.

When it comes to potential as a freshman, Elena has it in DROVES, especially at the middle blocker position. As a former Big Ten MB, I know a talented middle in the making when I see one and this young lady is just that. It is clear that Swanagan is newer to the game, but she has all the makings of an elite player: height, length, athleticism and DRIVE. My favorite part of the Showcase was when everyone split up into their positions and Elena was the only middle there. So instead of just going with the pin hitters, she chose to get one-on-one middle blocker training time with a coach. That spoke volumes to me of what this young lady is capable of and the determination she has. Even though she is a bit raw, she puts up a big block, which will likely continue to get bigger as she grows and develops. Elena is already terminal when attacking, but the sky is the limit as she learns spacing with the setter and transition footwork. I CANNOT wait to see what the future holds for this young lady!

Ella, coming from the South Bend area and NIVA, was the ONLY middle that came to us on Sunday in the Freshman Showcase. Some might find that awkward and tough, but she was highly coachable, played multiple positions during the two hours and really showed her length while attacking in both the right and middle. Raw but athletic, Elena never took a play off, even though she would have been allowed to because of fatigue. However, without needing a break, Miss Swanagan used her length to her advantage, blocking the attackers that attacked low and going over those same attackers when hitting on the right side. I love this kid’s mentality and coachability. More training time will be needed to polish this young lady’s potential, and her improvement from the beginning to the end of our Freshman Showcase proved that she’s a sponge for information and her work ethic was second to none.